Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (1234-11 December 1282), also known as Llywelyn the Last, was the King of Gwynedd from 1246 to 1282, succeeding Dafydd ap Llywelyn and preceding Dafydd ap Gruffydd. He fought against the Kingdom of England for several decades, and his death in 1282 while fighting King Edward I of England signified the end of the independence of Wales.

Biography
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was born in 1234, the last of the four sons of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr (who was the son of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd). In 1246, Llywelyn became King of Gwynedd after his uncle Dafydd ap Llywelyn died without an heir, and he made peace with King Henry III of England, who had fought against his family in previous years. In 1257, he defeated a failed invasion by the Kingdom of England at the Battle of Cadfan, and he allied with Simon V de Montfort in the Second Barons' War against England. Wales fought against the English for many years, and in 1277 he was again forced to negotiate peace with the English. In 1282, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, by now known as "Llywelyn the Last", led a determined final rebellion against England, and he was killed and beheaded while separated from his army at the Battle of Orewin Bridge on 11 December 1282. He was the last monarch of an independent Wales, and the title "Prince of Wales" was reserved for the heir aparent to the English throne.